The use of mobile devices in the workplace is more popular than ever before. Because of this, cities may find it necessary to enforce proper mobile phone etiquette at work and in many cases incorporate cell phone policies within the employee handbook.

Here are some tips for cell phone etiquette at work:

DO turn your ringer to vibrate or silent. Remember that you share a space with others, so keep your ringer off when bringing your mobile phone into meetings. Doing so will help keep calls or notifications from being disruptive. If you must keep your ringer on, select a discreet, professional ringtone and keep it on the quietest setting possible.

DO remember to include an email signature on messages that come from your mobile phone or tablet. This is often overlooked and emails from mobile devices only have your name and the type of device the message was sent from. It’s important to include your city contact information so people can easily respond to you.

DON’T take personal calls at your desk if you share close space with co-workers. This can be distracting to those sitting near you and can make for an uncomfortable atmosphere if you’re discussing private matters.

DON’T take a call or text if you are having a face-to-face conversation with someone. Let the call go to voicemail and read your text after you finish your conversation.

DON’T talk or text and drive. If it is a call or text that you have to make, pull over to do so!

Lastly, keep in mind that as we discussed in last week’s article, electronic messages that are created, received, used, or disposed as part of city business can be considered open records and must be treated as such in regards to retention and disposal.

For sample policies or more information on this or any other personnel matter, contact Andrea Shindlebower Main, Personnel Services Specialist, with the KLC Legal Department.

Excerpt with changes from Michael Swearingen’s June 6, 2014 article Cell Phone Etiquette at Work

Love is in the air! And unfortunately for cities, sometimes that love can come in the form of those in employee relationships. So what is an employer to do about these situations?

Some employers choose to enact policies that complete ban romantic relationships in the workplace, but even this is not without its own set of issues. By completely banning you can force employees that are in a romantic relationship to go into hiding, which leaves the city completely unaware and unprepared for the issues that may result. By not dealing with this out in the open it can be the source of even bigger problems down the road.

Other employers choose to allow it to happen as long as there is disclosure. This can also create problems of its own. Many employees will perceive that preferential treatment is being received by a coworker based on their relationship, especially when one is in a supervisory role over the other.

No matter the policy that your city enacts, you need to review your ethics ordinance and personnel policies to see what they say about employees and supervisory relationships. In addition, does this relationship create a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest and is it the subject of office gossip? Any relationship, whether it is causal or romantic should not have a negative impact on city business. And lastly, if love goes south, an employee can claim retaliation and harassment based on the previous relationship, which along with many other problems, may prove to be costly in court.

So how can the city protect itself from love gone wrong?

First, have a clearly written policy with expectations set out in an easy to read and understand format. And, it is recommended that those in supervisory positions should not be allowed to date subordinates under any circumstances.

Second, if your city ethics ordinance applies to city employees, and your nepotism policy applies to dating relationships, be certain that it is also included in the personnel policy.

Lastly make sure that your sexual harassment policy is up to date, has a clearly established complaint procedure and that all employees and supervisors are trained on what the policy states and what it requires.

Running a city is not all champagne and roses, so you need to protect the city by being proactive. One of the ways to do this is to have a current and legally compliant personnel policy. If your city needs to update personnel policies you need to work with someone who not only has expertise in personnel law and human resource matters, but someone who knows municipal law as well. KLC can offer this expertise in a way that is specific to your city needs. Whether it is creating or reviewing city personnel policies, providing training on your city policies, sexual harassment, or on a variety of specialized HR topics, we have you covered. For more information on this service or any other personnel related matters contact Andrea Shindlebower at ashindlebower@klc.org.

The use of mobile devices in the workplace is more popular than ever before. Because of this, cities may find it necessary to enforce proper mobile phone etiquette at work and in many cases incorporate cell phone policies within the employee handbook.

Here are some tips for cell phone etiquette at work:

DO turn your ringer to vibrate or silent. Remember that you share a space with others, so keep your ringer off when bringing your mobile phone into meetings. Doing so will help keep calls or notifications from being disruptive. If you must keep your ringer on, select a discreet, professional ringtone and keep it on the quietest setting possible.

DO remember to include an email signature on messages that come from your mobile phone or tablet. This is often overlooked and emails from mobile devices only have your name and the type of device the message was sent from. It’s important to include your city contact information so people can easily respond to you.

DON’T take personal calls at your desk if you share close space with co-workers. This can be distracting to those sitting near you and can make for an uncomfortable atmosphere if you’re discussing private matters.

DON’T take a call or text if you are having a face-to-face conversation with someone. Let the call go to voicemail and read your text after you finish your conversation.

DON’T talk or text and drive. If it is a call or text that you have to make, pull over to do so!

Lastly, keep in mind that as we discussed in last week’s Weekly HR Newsarticle, electronic messages that are created, received, used, or disposed as part of city business can be considered open records and must be treated as such in regards to retention and disposal.

For sample policies or more information on this or any other personnel matter, contact Andrea Shindlebower at ashindlebower@klc.org.

Excerpt with changes from Michael Swearingen’s June 6, 2014 article Cell Phone Etiquette at Work - reprinted with permission.